CO129-356 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1909 [4-6] — Page 89

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From the 1st. of March, 1910,

Opium, with due protection for the Opium Farmer,

will be

declared a Poison and will be placed with Morphine in Part

I of Schedule A of Ordinance No. 12 of 1908.

Some amendments are also being

made in Ordinance 15 of 1906 having for their object the

better control in the meantime of Compounds of Opium and

Morphine in the Colony and the prevention of these articles

being smuggled out of the Colony or through the Colony to

China or elsewhere. I have taken this opportunity also for

the same reason of enacting Regulations concerning the

wholesale trade in Cocaine (which is also included as a

poison). These various Regulations for the control of

these drugs will be submitted to you later.

4.

It is necessary that tenders for

the Opium Farm should be received in August in order that

there may be time to adjust the Estimates for the following

year, which are of course largely affected by the amount of

the tender and are introduced in the Legislative Council

in September. It is desirable therefore that tenders

should be invited as early in June as possible in order

that intending bidders may have time to study the

conditions and make their calculations and financial

arrangements